Coin-controlled vending-machine



E. B. POTTS.

com CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. ll, 191B.

Patented June 21, 1921.

INVENTDR Edwin/Brons,

UNIT@ PATENT @Frlti EDWN B. IPOTTS, O3? JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNR TO AUTSALES COBPRA TON, A CRPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COIN-CONTRGLLED VENDING-Ii/ACHINE.

Speci'ication of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 2i, i921.

Application filed April 11, 1918. Serial No. 227,856.

To all y'av/om it may concern:

Be it known that L EDWIN B. Poms, a v:itizeu ot the, `United States, and a resident oi Jersey Gity, in the county ot Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (loin-Controlled Vendinpyliiachines, of which the 'tollcwing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a coin-controlled vending machine embodying' ertain improvements and advantages over machines ot thisclass heretofore constructed.

The malin feature of my invention resides in the fact that the entire movement of the delivery mechanism is controlled by the hand-operal'ile part which the purchaser operates from the outside of the casing. That is to say, the purchaser controls not only the 'forward movement of the delivery mechanism and the parts connected therewith, but also the return movement of` the mechanism and the connected parts. rlhis enables me to dispense altogether with return spi-iugm with the result that the machine is easyl and noiseless of operation. Also, the absence of all springs results in a structure ci" extreme simplicity. with no liability ot the parts getting out of order.

i accomplish the foregoing; results by means ot a construction which causes the act;i,iatinqv member 'for the delivery mechanism to be actuated partly through the medium ol the deposited coin and partly by means independent of the coin.

The underlying' principle ot my invention may he mechanically carried out in many ways, 1out in the accompanyinga drawings I have shown a machine embodying' my invention in a form which l have found to be practical. .lwill have it clearly understood, however7 that the machine shown in these dra-wings is merely an illustrative embodiment of my invention and is not to be considcred as a limitation.

in these drawings- Figure 1 shows a rear elevation of a machine provided with my invention., the operative parts beine; shown in position about to be actuated by the deposited coin, and the hack of the machine being` omitted so as to show the parts within;

Fig. l2 is a longitudinal section on line 2 2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows, this figure including' the baci; ci the casing which is omitted from Fig. l;

is a transverse cross-section on line 3-3 of Fig. l looking downwardly;

Fig. i is a view similar to Fig. l showing the parts at approximately the end of their movement under the action of the coin; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross-section approximately on line 5 5 0i Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

To illustrate. the different features and parts ci my invention, l have shown the same applied to a machine particularly adapted for use in theaters. These machines, as is well known, are made as small as possible) particularly as to depth, and my invention is especially adapted to be employed in small machines ot this kind, owingtc the simplicity and compactness of construction which the use oit my invention produces.

ln the accompanying drawings7 the outer casing' of the machine is as a whole indicated by C. This casing may be of any suitable construction and is shown in the drawings consisting' oi' two sectionsa front section l and a rear section 2 which is adapted to he secured to a suitable support, such as a theater chair or the like. rllhe front section l is separable from the rear section 2, and the two sections are intended to be locked together in closed position.

inside or the casing` C is mounted a magazine, indicated as a whole by lil, of any suitable construction. he secured to the iront section in any suitable manner.

Below the magazine M is mounted a delivery member which l have shown in the drawings in the form ot a semicylinder 3. This delivery cylinder is at its ends provided with disks 4i and 5 which are provided with pins or studs 6 by means pf which the cylinder is rotatably mounted 1n the side walls of the casing. Adjacent the disk 5 is fixed a pinion 7 which is rigid with the dish- 5. Pins 8 or any other suitable means be employed i'or rigidly connecting the disk 5 and pinion 7 together, so that rotation of the pinion will cause r0- tation of the delivery cylinder 3. The teeth ot the pinion 7 are constantly in mesh with the teeth of the rack bar 9 which is carried by 01 fOImS the 10W?? .6nd of the vertically rilhe magazine may reciprocating plate or bar 10. This bar is conveniently mounted. on the side wall of the casing by means of headed studs 11 which engage in elongated slots 12 formed in Vthe bar 10. llhe vertical-bar 1() is provided with a transverse extension 13 having a slot 14.

The bar 10 is actuated up and down by the bell-crank lever indicated as a whole by D. This lever is pivotally mounted on the stud 15 projecting inwardly from 'the front wall 1 of the casing, and comprises the arms 16 and 1i'. The arm 16 is at its free end provided with a pin 17 arranged to engage in the slot 14 of the reciprocating bar 10. rEhe arm 17 of the bell-crank lever D is at its free end provided with a pin or stud 18 which projects forwardly through the opening` 19 in the front wall of the casing into the coinchute or passage 20 ofthe supplemental casing C attached to the front wall of the main casing. The supplemental casing C, 'which may be of any approved construction, has mounted thereon. the coin-carrier 21 which is shown in the form of a dislr provided with a coin-receiving recess or opening` 22 The l coin-carrier 21, which operates in the coin passage or chamber 20, is pivotally mounted on the stud 23 which is at its outer end connected with a suitable hand-operable member, such as a knob 24.

The upper end of the arm 17 of the bellcrank lever D is provided with an extension 25 which is normally out of the path of movement of the pin 2o projecting rearwardly from the coin-carrier into the plane of said extension, as best shown in Fig. 5. The functio-n of the aarts 25 and 26 will bem presently explained.

The operation of the mechanism as above described may briefly be stated as follows: lllhen a proper coin is inserted into the coinentrance slot 27 at the top of the supplemental casing C', it passes down the coin chamber 2() to the coin-carrier 21. This coin-carrier is freely rotatable at all times,

and if the deposited coin does not at once fall into the coin-seat 22, it will do so when the coin-carrier rotated sufficiently to bring this seat into alinement with the coin. When the coin-carrier is thereupon rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow o in Fig. 1, the deposited coin N will be` carried down the coin passage 2G until the lower edge of the coin strikes the forwardly projecting pin 18 of the bell-crank lever D. The normal position of the bell-crank lever D and the connected delivery mechanism is shown in Fig. 1, where the deposited coin N is shown as having just reached the pin 18. lt will b@ clear from Fig. 1, that further rotation of the coin-carrier 21 by means of the hand-knob 2lin the directionV of the arrow a will rock the bell-crank lever D in the direction indicated by the arrow 5.

This rocking of the bell-crank lever D, in the particular construction illustrated, will extend from the 'position shown in Fig. 1 to theposition shown in Fig. e, where the bellcrank lever D and theV connected delivery mechanism are shown as having reached their extreme limit of movement under the action of the deposited coin. It will be clear from et that further rotation of the coin-carrier in the direction of the arrow a will cause the coin N to lbe discharged from between the pin 18 and the coin-seat of the coin-carrier, the discharged coin falling through the opening` 28 on to the bottom plate 29 of the coin-chamber 30 formed between the front plate of the magazine and the front wall ofthe casing. lt will be clear from the foregoing that when the parts have reached the position illustrated in Fig. el, the coin has performed its usefulness as an actuating member or connection and is, therefore, ready to drop out of action.

lt should be made., clear that the movement of the bell-crank lever D by means of the deposited coin from its normal position, as shown in 1, to the position shown in Fig. d, does not euse the delivery of any article. By means of the slot-and-pin connection between the lever D and the bar 10, the rocking of the lever D from the position shown in 1 to the position shown in Fig. -1 moves the bar 10 upwardly, and this upward movement of the bar 10 rotates the delivery cylinder 3 from the position shown in F igs. 1 and 2 to the position `shown in Figs. eland 5. lt will be seen from Fig. 2 that in the normal position of the delivery cylinder 3, the bottom package l? rests on the upper surface of the cylinder. ll] hen the cylinder has been rotated a half revolution during the movement of the lever D under the action of the deposited coin, the bottom package if' lies within the cylinder, as shown in is, therefore, necessary to give the delivery cylinder another half revoluti before delivery of the bottom package taire place. lThis further movement "1e deliif'ery cylinder 3 is broughtebout by the coin-carrier 21 without the intervention of the deposited coin and in the absence thereof, as may be seen from Figs. 4 and 5. Referring to these figures, it will be clear that further rotation of the coin-carrier 21 in the direction of the arrow o will cause the pin or projection 26 of the coin-carrier to bear against the extension 25 of the lever D and thereby rock said lever back to normal position, indicated by the arrow 5 in 4.-. During this return movement of the lever D the reciprocating lbar 10 is pushed downwardly and the delivery cylinder is rotated in the direction of the arrow 0 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 2. During this final -movement of the delivery cylinder, .the bottom CII package P drops out of the cylinder on to the plate 31 at the bottom of the casing, whence it may be moved by the purchaser' through one oi' the side openings 82.

The pin 26 of the coin-carrier 21 actuates the lever D and all the parts connected therewith back to normal position. W hen the lever D is in normal position, the eX- tension 25 is out of the path of movement oit the pin 2G of the coin-carrier, so that the latter is ufree to be rotated in either direction in. the absence of a coin Without causing movement of the lever D.

lt will be clear from Fig. d that upon the discharge of the coin from between the coincarrier and the pin 18 of the lever D, it is immaterial in which direction the coincarrier 21 is then rotated to complete the delivery operation of the lever D, for the pin 26 of the coin-carrier will engage the extension 25 in either direction of rotation of the coin-carrier.

1t will be seen from the above that the entire movement ci the actuated partsboth the forward and the return movement-is under the control of the hand-operable coin-carrier 21. rThis produces not only a noiseless operation of the machine, due to the absence of springs, but also produces a slow, easy and safe delivery of the goods. ln small machines Where there is essentially but a limited space for the delivery of the goods, the delivered package is liable to `ej'et caught between the delivery member and the .vall of the casing the sudden return of the delivery member under the action of a return spring. Another objection to return springs is that they unnecessarily complicate the machine and are liable to get out oi order, thereby rendering the operation of the machine uncertain.

The noiselessness oi' the operation of a machine constructed atteimy invention, is of special advantage in machines intended to be operated in theaters ivhere people demand uninterrupted silence and quiet in crder to enjoy the perfor'inance. A machine which is noisy in operation would, therefore, be objectionable in a theater.

Although l have herein shown and described a specific form of a machine embodying the various features ot my invention, l would have it understood that in the broad aspect of my invention, these features may be embodied in various forms '-.vithout departing from the scope oi' my invention as defined in the appended claims. lt will also be clear, that in the broad aspect of my invention, the precise function of the actuating member D is immaterial, and Where, as in a. vending-machine, the member D is employed to actuate delivery mechanism, the particular form or construction oi that mechanism is immaterial. In the drawings l have shown a delivery mechanism in the form of a semi-cylinder, merely by Way of illustrating;` a suitable form of mechanism. rilhe delivery mechanis i shown in the drawings and its operati,e connections -with the lever D do not in and of themselves form part of my present invention, as they are set forth in the eopending` application of Anthony Coseglia, Serial No. 186,848, filed August 18, 1917.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Fatent or the United States, is

l. in a coin-controlled vending machine, delivery mechanism, a movable member adapted to cause opera-tion of said mechanism nnen said member is moved from normal to full-operated position, a hand-operable coin-carrier for conveying the deposited coin into position to actuate said member part-Way from normal to full-operated position, and means independent of said coin for actuatingsaid member the rest of the ivay to full-operated position through the medium of said coin-carrier.

lin a coin-controlled machine, a handoperable actuating' member, a second member adapted to be actuated by said i'irst member,- said` members beingnormally disconnected from each other, means whereby said members become operatively connected through the deposited coin for preliminary actuation of said second member, and means independent of the deposited coin for operatively connecting said members for further actuation of said second member by said vfirst member.

3. in a coin-controlled vending machine, delivery mechanism, a movable memberV at; ated to cause operation of said mechanuy i when said member is moved from normal t full-operated position, a hand-operable coin-carrier 'for conveying the depositcoin into position to actuate said member part-way from normal to full-operated position, and cooperating' means on said member and said coin-carrier for actuatingsaid member the rest of the Way to fulloperated position when said coin-carrier is operated, said cooperating" means being wholly independent of the deposited coin.

a. ln a coin-controlled vending machine, delivery mechanism, a movable member adapted to cause operation of said mechanism when said member is moved from normai to full-operated position, a rotatable coin-carrier for conveying the deposited coin into position to actuate said member part-Way from normal to full-operated position, whereupon the coin is discharged from said coin-carrier, and means independent of said coin for actuating` said member the rest of the Way to full-operated position when said coin-carrier is rotated either Way after the discharge of the coin.

5, In a coin-controlled vending machine,

delivery mechanism, a movable member adapted to cause operation of said mechanism when said member is moved from normal to full-operated position, a hand-operable coin-carrier for conveying the depositcd coin into position to actuate said member part-way from normal to full-operated position, whereupon the coin is discharged from said coin-carrier, and means operable only after the discharge of said coin and independent thereof for actuating said member the rest of the way to full-operated position through the medium of said coin-carrier. Y

6. ln a coin-controlled machine, a pair of pivoted members normally disconnected, means for operatively connecting said members `for a limited amount of movement through the medium of a coin on one oil said members, and means independent o said coin for operatively connecting said members for further movement after the coin has ceased to act on said members.

7. In a coin-controlled machine, a movable device having a part arranged to be engaged by the deposited coin, a coin-carrier for carrying the deposited coin into engagement with said part for operating said device a predetermined amount, said device having a second part, and a member connected with said coin-carrier for engaging the second part of said device and thereby operating said device a further amount independently of the coin.

8. ln a coin-controlled machine, a movable device having a part arranged to be engaged by the deposited coin, a rotatable coin-carrier for carrying the deposited coin n into engagement with said part for operating said device a predetermined amount, said device having a second part, and a pin or projection on said coin-carrier for engaging the second part of said device when said coin-,carrier is rotated in either direc* tion after the action ot the coin on said first mentioned part, whereby said device is actuated by said coin-carrier to full-operated position independently of the coin.

9. In a coin-controlled machine, a pivoted lever provided with a pin arranged to be engaged by the deposited coin, a rotatable coin-carrier for carrying the deposited coin into engagement with said pin for operating said device a predetermined amount, an extension provided on said lever, and a projection on said coin-carrier adapted to engage said extension when the coin-carrier is rotated after action of the coin on said pin, whereby said lever is actuatedby said coiitcarrier to full operated position independently of the coin.

10. lin a coin-controlled vending machine, a rotatable delivery member requiring a complete revolution for every delivery operation, a hand-operable coin-carrier, and operative connections between said coin-carrier and said member for actuating said member for approximately the iirst hall:l of its revolution by means ot the coin on said carrier, said connection including means for actuating said member during the other hah or its revolution by means of said coincarrier independently of the coin.

11. ln a coincontrolled machine, a movable member mounted to operate in opposite directions, a rotatable coin disk for actuating said member in one direction by means of the deposited coin when thedisk is rotated forwardly, and means on said coin disk for actuating said member in the opposite direction independently of the coin during the continued forward rotation of the disk.

12. In a coin-controlled vending4 machine, delivery member mounted to have a predetermined amount of movement from normal position and back to normal position during every operation of the machine, a rotatable coin disk controlled from the outside oi the machine, and means whereby the complete movement of said member out oi and back into normal position is controlled by said coin disk partly through and partly without the deposited coin during the forward rotation of the disk.

ln witness whereof l hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of April, 1918.

EDWIN B. POTTS. 

